The Gryffindor common room was buzzing with laughter and mischief. It was one of those nights where no one really cared about curfew, and even less about house boundaries. They’d been playing truth or dare for nearly an hour now, and it was all fun and games—until it wasn’t.
Pansy Parkinson, of all people, had somehow found her way into the circle, along with a few other Slytherins. Everyone was too far gone into the game to care much, though. They’d gone through everything from Fred doing an impression of McGonagall to Lavender admitting she had a crush on Dean.
Then Pansy, sitting next to Malfoy, smirked wickedly and spun the bottle. It whirled around, making Harry feel a little dizzy just watching it. He wasn’t nervous, not really. But when it slowed and pointed unmistakably at Malfoy, Harry stiffened.
"Oh god, here we go," Ron muttered beside him, but Harry didn’t respond. His eyes were on Pansy, who was practically vibrating with excitement.
“Well, well,” she purred, glancing around the circle with a gleam in her eye. “Looks like it’s your turn, Draco.”
Malfoy rolled his eyes, slumping a little in his seat like he was already bored. “Yeah, yeah, just get on with it.”
Pansy looked like the cat who got the cream. “Dare.”
There was a collective intake of breath from the group, and Harry felt his heart rate pick up just a little. Pansy grinned, her eyes darting between Harry and Draco, and that was when Harry felt the shift.
"I dare you to kiss Potter," she said, voice dripping with fake innocence.
The room went silent. Ron choked on the Butterbeer he was drinking, and Hermione’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Harry froze, his brain stuttering to a halt.
Malfoy looked at Pansy like she had lost her mind. "That's disgusting," he sneered, making a face. "Kiss Potter? Are you mad?"
But Pansy only smirked wider. "A dare's a dare, Draco."
Harry’s face was already burning, but he tried to play it cool. He plastered a grin on his face, trying to keep things light. “It’s fine, Malfoy. Just admit you’re scared.”
Draco’s eyes snapped to Harry’s, and for a split second, something flickered behind them. Then he squared his shoulders, his expression hardening into something unreadable.
"Scared? Of you?" Draco scoffed, leaning forward. "Don’t be ridiculous."
Before Harry could react, Draco was on his feet, crossing the small space between them in a heartbeat. Harry's breath caught in his throat as Draco stood in front of him, close enough that Harry could see the sharp line of his jaw and the tension in his clenched fists.
Draco hesitated for the briefest moment, his lips twitching as though he wanted to say something but thought better of it. And then, in one smooth motion, he grabbed Harry by the collar of his shirt, pulling him in.
Their lips met.
It wasn’t some soft, tentative thing either. Draco kissed him confidently, like he knew exactly what he was doing, like this wasn’t just some stupid dare. The whole room went still. Harry’s mind was racing, struggling to catch up with what was happening, but all he could focus on was the feeling of Draco’s lips against his.
And damn it all—they tasted like cherries.
Just as quickly as it had started, it was over. Draco pulled back, his face carefully neutral, though Harry swore he saw something else flicker in those silver eyes again. He dropped Harry’s collar and took a step back, wiping his mouth dramatically with the back of his hand.
“Ugh, that was revolting,” Draco sneered, but there was no real bite to his voice.
The room erupted into laughter and whispers, and Harry blinked, still processing. His lips tingled from where Draco had kissed him, and his brain was going in a thousand different directions. Draco had kissed him. Draco Malfoy had kissed him.
And it had felt… good. Too good, really. His lips had tasted like cherries, sweet and a little addictive, and the way his hands had gripped Harry’s shirt—
“Earth to Harry,” Ron’s voice snapped him back to reality.
Harry blinked, looking around at the still-laughing group. Draco was already sauntering back to his spot like nothing had happened, though Harry could still feel the ghost of that kiss.
He forced a laugh, trying to act like he wasn’t completely shaken. But deep down, he knew something had just shifted.
By the time they made it back to the Slytherin common room, Draco was buzzing. He practically threw himself onto one of the couches, the adrenaline still coursing through him from the kiss. He could barely contain himself.
“You’re welcome,” Pansy said smugly as she flopped down beside him, arching an eyebrow. “How was it?”
Draco let out a soft, almost breathless laugh. “Better than I expected.”
Pansy snorted. “I knew it.”
He looked at her, his heart still pounding in his chest. “You have no idea.”
Pansy rolled her eyes. “I figured as much. Your hand was shaking the whole time.”
Draco gave her a sheepish look, running a hand through his hair. “Well, be concerned if it wasn't.”
He leaned back, grinning like an idiot. The truth was, he’d been dying to kiss Harry for months now, and this was the perfect opportunity. Pansy had helped orchestrate it, of course, because Merlin knew Draco would never have had the guts to just do it on his own. But with the dare… well, it had been too good to pass up.
And it had been so much better than he’d imagined. Harry’s lips had tasted like hot chocolate, warm and comforting, with that same sweetness that had made Draco’s chest feel too tight. The kiss had been short, but Draco could still feel the heat of it, still feel the way Harry had gone tense, completely caught off guard.
Pansy nudged him. “So, what now?”
Draco sighed, running a finger over his lips like he was trying to commit the feeling to memory. “I don’t know. I’ll take whatever I can get."
He smiled softly to himself, feeling oddly content. For just a moment, Harry had been his, and that was enough.
For now.